Caged Men: Tales From Chicago's Last Remaining SRO Hotels
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- Caged. Invisible. Shamed. Trapped. These words mark the tenants, clerks and even the owners of Chicago's last remaining Singe Room Occupancy (SRO) hotels. These small spaces are home for many at the bottom of Chicago's housing ladder. Cloaked in darkness and secrecy, these hotels are often maligned as drug dens and havens for prostitution but the people who live, work and own these hotels have never fully shared their stories.
Caged Men is a feature-length documentary which examines the disquieting stories of near-homeless Americans living on the margins and their invisibility in a largely indifferent and, at times, hostile community. It attempts to lend a voice to SRO residents, clerks, owners and to the hotels themselves.
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I lived in one in Portland when I was 18 in the early 80's. They called it a transient hotel. It was on West Burnside. $40 a week. It was a blessing to have a place to go, and gave me time to get on my feet. We need these places. I swear, this country treats the down and out like they have no right to live nowadays.
Its interesting these places, SRO's or rooming houses disappeared in all western countries around the same time. Same thing happened in countries like Canada, Australia, UK, etc.
Its like there was a deliberate plan to get rid of them all. Now the cheapest apartments are out of reach of the poor.
In Australia almost any city rent for 1br is $400/wk. Min wage is 700/wk.
@@Heopful, Yikes!!
“Murica” isn’t a country or a nation, genius lol
@@marcbasil What comment are you responding too Imbecile?
Very well done. I lived on the streets after a mental health crisis that lasted for 5 years. I lived in women’s homeless shelters and a flop house. I was a medical professional living the life on Long Island and lost everything. I finally got into a very good mental health system, got a service coordinator and received SSDI. I now live in my own small apartment, with my two beautiful cats. It’s quiet here, and it’s safe. I have enough money to pay the bills with a little extra left over sometimes. My mind is slowly recovering from the trauma of homelessness and mental illness. You can have a good life, too. Don’t leave the theater before the movie ends.
I’m proud of you stranger for never giving up and fighting for you life and mental health, best wishes to you! 💕
thank you, i needed to hear that. even though im not homeless, i easily could be. i struggle with addiction and other issues from the way ive been treated my whole life--abuse. sober now and trying to stay close to God.
You sound exactly like my twin! I was a nurse's assistant until I had a breakdown. I ended up homeless and then found a place at the former YMCA in Chicago. I was there and received help from a social worker and applied for my benefits. Now I have S8 and a studio apt. I only have one cat though. So proud of how well you did!
Are you a saved Christian?
Wishing you the very best
I feel like documentaries were made with the intent of showing everyone the "horrors" of these places... but now we live in a world where there are none of these places left, so everyone just sleeps and lives on the streets! Great progress!
Seconded
No. They also show dignity…and the rapacious nature of amerikka
It seems that if you fall through the cracks, you're just left on the ground.
@@Fireneedsair i have never seen someone spell it "aamerikka" while also not being a very low iq individual
they didnt tell you about the horrible bed bug infestation there.
I lived in an SRO in Chicago in the mid 1990s as an 18 year old who arrived in a Greyhound bus because I wanted to get out of West Virginia. I stayed there about a year and then went into the US Army. It was an interesting experience. Never saw any drugs or had problems with anyone there. It was simply a cheap place to lay my head until I had a better idea of what I wanted to do with my life. Now I live in Los Angeles paying $3k a month for a 2 bedroom. Larger cities need to bring back SRO hotels. I didnt feel any shame when I lived in one. Real Estate should be for living in and not an investment so that already wealthy people can generate 10% returns each year/be a tax shelter.
Me too… I arrived in Chicago in November 1985 with 60 bucks in my pocket. Lived at the Tokyo for 6 months trying to get on my feet. Most tenants had problems and were down and out. But, a few were younger people with nothing trying to improve themselves. Learned a lot about people back then at a young age. Mostly good some bad. Remember drinking beer with some tenants at the fire escape. I’m retired now and collecting pensions… this place will forever be in my memories…. It was the beginning for me… while the end for many. Oh, I remember the elevator guy was kind of an asshole.
Bingo! They've commoditized a basic human right - shelter. Shouldn't be allowed.
I live in LA too and more SLO's would help a lot of homeless get off the street, even a cheap studio is 1300 and you have to show proof of income at 3x rent amount and pay first/last/deposit
I was homeless at 16, 1967. I paid $20/week for a room at the Oak Park YMCA. It saved my life. I stayed over a year and finished school. There's no basic, cheap housing anywhere anymore
@@brucekrause2801 I'm so glad you had the YMCA, and that you were able to take care of yourself and finish school.
I hope life has been kinder to you since then. It's rough to be on your own at 16.
I am a very hard working 62 y.o. woman who waits tables, cleans houses, and gardens for a living. I wait on the wealthy and the working class all day erry day.
I love working blue collar people and even the broke and homeless. God have mercy on us all
And I am living in an old style hotel
Money I S NOT everything
Good on ya, cheers.s
Blissings to you dear🩷🩷
Send you a big hug. These kind of stories need to be heard. You’re a good person with a good heart. God bless you. I hope you don’t have to work for the rest of your life.
I delivered pizza for 5 years in the late 1980s to early 90s.
I found the guy with Sam or Mike in his blue collar shirt gave you a fair tip.
Rich dude if town i had a few stiffs I knew were not going to tip.
After 3 times their pizza was last of the 3 or 4 orders i left the store with.
"I ain't gonna carry you, but I'll help you." That man storing things as extra to give to other people is so wonderful to hear.
It's usually the people that have the least who are willing to help others the most.❤
I bought an SRO a few years back. I also own the top rated hotel in the area. The "social entrepreneur" comment really hit home for me. I am going to have to utilize that one going forward.
I care about my tenants, whether they pay $400+/night or $100/week. All people deserve respect and dignity. The pride that I see in not only my tenants' eyes, but my managers' eyes (I have other businesses so I need a great team of managers), is always heartwarming. The people paying $400/month (all-inclusive) would much rather live where they live than get handouts and live in a larger place. Plus, they are surrounded by their true family, much like the one gentleman said.
One of the most heartbreaking things I've had happen in my SRO is an older gentleman passing away in his sleep. Other tenants took care of him for years, even giving him baths. I never once met a single member of his "family" outside of those walls. He was completely cast aside by society, his children, and his grandchildren. Good man to share a cold beer with.
Last note: patience--and lots of it. That one manager nailed it solidly on the head. And people that want to shut SROs down can go F off back into their ivory towers.
Wow, a businessman/landlord who isn't a total dick. I'm frankly gobsmacked. If there really is a god, may he bless you.
If what you say is really true, and I hope it is, you're a good soul. Stay golden
Sounded like a great man...to bad his "ACTUAL REAL FAMILY" MISSED OUT KNOWING AND LOVING A GREAT HUMAN BEING...TO LATE NOW!!!
SO SAD...R.I.P. SIR ❤️🙏❤️
So you're lurking on UA-cam about these places? Guarantee you would fold and kick them out on the street for a price, your not in the feeling business or you wouldn't charge them that much, you're in it to make money. Stop with your BS bleeding heart nonsense. I'm not going to justify with what I do, but I'm retired and have been since 40 years old, I know ppl like you who pretend to care about humanity on the outside, but I don't see you devoting your life to help ppl. So just stop
Where are your businesses. I will spend my $ with you sir.
Just having a small place for yourself that you know you can upkeep properly and feel safe in is important.
And a door to close and lock.
Amen, exactly. Here in Boston there aren’t many, but we still have some.
It's a profound part of the human experience. If we can't have a place to feel safe, secure, and clean... we end up losing ourselves.
In a world that knows these obvious facts, it's utterly heart breaking we're still treating people like third rate animals.
Thank God for business owners who still treat their customers as human beings. Bless them.
I'll 2nd that!
Create one yourself !
@@suzanneblaylock9598what's that ACTUALLY mean?
The thanks go to the business owners who still treat their customers as human beings.
@@suzanneblaylock9598create one what?
I can’t believe I found this video. In the late 90’s as an undergraduate at a University in Chicago I worked downtown at the Embassy Suites near the Tokyo Hotel. Both are now closed. Over time, I befriended some of the residents of the SRO. For a sociology class I interviewed one of the residents in his domicile. It was a pretty amazing experience. The man’s name was Danny he was such a nice guy his story was unbelievably sad. He had lived there for 40 years. He drank an enormous bottle of vodka while I interviewed him. We talked for 5 hours and really connected. A week later I went to look for him and was informed he passed away.
I'm sorry you lost the gentleman you met. Hearing others true stories puts our selfish trivial problems in perspective.
Its crazy the things systematic discrimination can do to a person. Alcoholism is a real thing that affects every types of people. People assume its equates to one thing, but it can really be equal to so many other issues and struggles within a persons life. People can be much more than the problems they face.
You know, the fact he got to talk to you and tell his story, is a really important step in "end of life care". You performed as essential task and you didn't even know it. Bless you for your kindness. ❤
Please write Danny’s story down everyone deserve to be remembered 🧐
😢so sorry, i just find this video and didn't know this even existed.
That black veteran that came from a nursing home, I really liked him. Gratitude is so essential for a decent life, really liked him.❤
My former husband arrived in NYC as a homeless 20 year old in 1983, and ended up in an SRO off of Times Square. It was cozy, comfy, and warm. Today, he has a four bedroom, three bath home on the Mavericks Beach in Half Moon Bay in San Mateo County, a suburb of San Francisco. We need more SROs in this country, not fewer.
There were also better jobs back then that didn't require education.
How did that happen? Did he have help?
@toidIllorTAmI Absolutely, starting in the '80s and accelerating with NAFTA, bankers and CEOs decided to move the good industrial jobs to places the labor was cheaper. That's what they do, which is why we shouldn't let them run the country.
I'm a middle class woman with first hand experience on SROs in the LA Metro area. I lived in and co-managed a very modest SRO in Hollywood, consulted on another one near downtown Los Angeles and did research on several others. Most rooms used shared toilet and shower facilities down the hall. All rooms had a wash basin. No cooking was allowed. The quality of life in a SRO depends on the owner and manager. It was like living in a college dorm. We had residents who had lived there for many, many years by preference. They liked the idea of a room where there's a front desk clerk watching who comes and goes. They liked the maid service and having a security guard. The owner was very careful about background checks before letting anyone move in. Our residents lived on limited incomes, but they were not "trash", addicts or criminals.
What was it like living there as a woman? Was the place you stayed at predominantly male, like the place in this video, or was it more mixed? Was it generally a safe place for women to stay? It’s good that background checks were done to protect the safety of residents and their property. Do you know if that’s standard for this type of facility? The man in this video said they don’t do any background checks. That sounds frightening.
Actually, you wouldn't know if they were an addict or not. Not all addicts have a criminal record, not all addicts lie or steal. I think it's hilarious how people still to this day seem to think that you can just look at someone and you would know if they were an addict or not. I'm 31 years old without a criminal record, I'm blonde, tan, and fit, and nobody would ever suspect that I have been addicted to oxycodone for almost a decade, mostly prescribed, but I have always dressed well, maintained a condo and a car and I have given thousands upon thousands of dollars to my family even in the worst parts of my addiction. I don't lie, I always show up when I say I'm going to, and nobody would ever guess I was addicted to anything. So please just don't assume by looking at someone that you know if they are an addict or not, because that's just not true, the most well put together, well-dressed person in the room can be the most miserable, dependent on a substance , and hopeless person in the entire building and you would have no idea.
Wow. Not “trash” huh? Like human beings are? Mental issues and/or addiction don’t make people garbage.
@@Mischa21xo you are absolutely right. I’ve been to detox centers and rehab facilities countless times, and over and over again, I hear people say, “you don’t look like you do heroin”. Whatever the heck that means.
I’ve been on methadone for 4 years now, and been clean from all illicit substances for 3.5 years. It’s so important to break the stigma and the stereotypes that come with addiction. We truly do come from all walks of life.
You seem like a kind, genuine person with a good head on your shoulders. Please be safe. I know that probably comes across as something that people are supposed to say, but I sincerely mean it. The most heartbreaking feeling in the world is having a loved one who doesn’t get the chance to start over. The people who love you would never get over that pain.
I have faith that you can make it out on the other side. You have the rest of your life to look forward to, and after years and years of chasing that drug, a quiet, low-key, simple life can be so peaceful, rewarding and fulfilling.
Wishing you all the best, and all the joy and peace that you deserve. ♥️
Me too. Left 1999.
The men and women running in these in, allowing the owners, allowing this to help people… these people are angels
Between shutting down these SRO hotels and the shutting down of the mental institutions......no wonder there is such a homeless crisis in this country. Those that struggle so hard have been just turned out to fend for themselves. Reminds me of those that turn out and dump their unwanted animals to fend for themselves.
You are so right, all the while saying the same people have a right to fail and providing NOTHING
This is why we have such bad homelessness because they have shut down mental institutions and these one room places for people to go. It’s just really a bad situation. It’s all about gentrification and development.
@@SeeCSeesCChey can I ask what does SRO hotel mean? I've never heard that term
@@gregheard9425 I’ve never seen that initial description before and I’m assuming that means standing room only but I’ve seen that kind of a hotel in big cities in the west where I’m from
@@gregheard9425it means Single Room Occupancy. Your the only person that lives in that room. Most SRO's are no bigger than a jail cell. They are some left in my city, but slowly they are getting bought out or forced out. NYC here. Rents here are impossible to keep with, even in low rent areas.
Such an interesting documentary... Our cities need these places, but what we need even more than that, is the humility and insight to recognize that everyone deserves kindness, dignity and respect.
THAT, my friend, is so very true. My best to you and yours.
@@carabiner7999 ❤
Roark was the sweetest man, with such a kind heart. May he finally be resting in peace after 40+ years of PTSD. I hope his family kept his beloved cat.
SROs are needed across the US now more than at any other time in the last 75 years. It should be illegal for any city in the US to NOT have at least 1 SRO, most large cities need at least 3-5, depending on the population.
Our veterans should NEVER have to ever look for housing. That's just unconscionable, especially for those returning from combat.
People deserve safe, warm, dry places to sleep, shower, and hang their clothing.
He seems like a nice enough fellow, but his math skills are definitely lacking. 100-9 isn’t 80.
What about when the veterans that are murderers or rapists? That first vet admitted he was a murderer, almost like it was nothing. That is what the military teaches people, to kill others without emotion or remorse.
yes indeed, as well as his hones poetry. so sad to read he did not make it, when he was contributing so much to society and was so deserving of happiness himself.
@@yourbestfriendliz5832 I have to admit, it brought me to tears when it came to that part of the documentary. Crying for a man I never knew or met, but recognized the loss to society by his early passing.
I lived in an SRO for a few years. Very trippy and eclectic group of people with amazingly crazy stories. Mostly good people that just did not have a lot of good luck.
What is an SRO?
@@mariaa.5829 single resident occupancy
@@mariaa.5829it’s actually single *room* occupancy
As a young man I lived in a SRO named Bel Air Hotel that used to be located on Diversey Parkway near the lakefront. I was there because my dad gave me a move out date, and I had no where else to go. I rarely think about those days. It really wasn't a bad experience. I mostly just felt afraid that I might be in that situation for a long time. I got out of there within a few weeks. I'm thankful that option was available to me at a time when I had no where to go.
I know that building it's now a luxury apartments now
I have been there
I don't like your dad!
@@KASABERHAGEN Dad is great. Family is about loving one another even when a family member is wrong in a moment. Part of growing up and becoming a man is accepting that your total well being is always your responsibility. Help and favors from others is something to be appreciated, not expected.
@chi773guy And I totally get that. I understand. However, I guess that my empathy for you is vastly more superior.
I live in SRO in the Tenderloin and there are so many talented people here who happen to be poor. We are criminalized and misrepresented because of this. Many are on fixed income and can't afford these luxury new developments being built.
Move to a cheaper state
What's the name of the SRO?
@@frankihatch yeah cause moving is free and it's no problem to come up with two months' rent in a new place where you don't have your social safety net
@@benjamina2711 just get a job
Move to Cleveland it's not so bad cost of living much cheaper and lots of things to do and enjoy just not in the winter so much
RIP Roarke. You seemed like a great guy who really cared about others.
The big guy at the front desk!?
@@jorgebarranco4200 Yes.
Said he was gonna live another 50 years. He seemed like a great guy
@@jorgebarranco4200 yes
when I met my wife I had a small apt complex. we ran it as a sober-living home..it was a awesome 10yrs.. reminds me of this
SROs are so important. We need more of these. This was a great documentry.
Thanks for watching...
Unfortunately, the real estate is worth considerable with no hotel on it. Just bulldoze it and put up a high rise new and more expensive apartments. That is what has happened everywhere.
💯
@@johngreen3543unfortunately you have no idea how life truly work's. You want to create more homeless so a rich man can make more $$$ maybe Biden could send MORE money to the Ukraine while American's suffer in the street's. Our tax dollars should be used to help our own not to help murder stranger's on foreign soil.
@@johngreen3543ppl still want to be there? I heard service industry and offices are movin out bc of crime?
They called it white flight bk in da day.....hell it's so bad now in some areas....it's get the F out b4 u die.
I get myself so saddened to hear Roark didn’t survive. I pray he’s at peace. This is a beautiful documentary and shows the more human side to SRO hotels. I waited on the bus stop across from the New Jackson when I’d head back to Union Station. Had great conversations with people who lived there.
I looked him up and he passed in 2012.
Damn.
Amen
I've been kicked out of my apartment because the elderly owner sold the building and when my lease was up I had to leave. The building is 200 years old and needs much work. I had rent that I could afford, barely. Now with the housing crisis and inflation, rent rates have doubled. $1000 bucks a month plus security plus utilities for an efficiency in small town Pennsylvania is just unreasonable. I am in remission from cancer and on SSD. Unfortunately it's not enough to live on. I was staying in a tent until the police made me move at midnight in the pouring rain. Now im in a hotel for 3 nights and I've no idea where I'll go after that.
Hope you find a place. Stay strong and God bless you.
Good Luck!
Iowa has some reasonable prices if you can make it out here.
Whenever you make it to another place I hope you will be at ease there. Along the way you to that place you have to never give up on the chance to get that stability that you can reach by finding a home. I don’t know if you have been homeless before but you have to be strong and never give up. No matter what challenges you encounter. It is too bad there is no comfort to offer but I hope you get someplace safe soon.
If you can just make it thru the winter, stay in the tent and save up during the summer months and get a car. So next winter you won’t be in your tent. Hoping you are safe and at peace! ❤
This was an absolutely AMAZING documentary. I was glued to the screen! Roark was a much older soul than his age. The fact that the Tokyo sold for $13.5 million and still has $35 rooms really hit hard. Thus was something I knew nothing about. I didn't know I wanted to know about it, but your documentary was absolutely riveting.
I just looked it up and the smallest cheapest room (155 sq ft) is $8100/month. The cheapest option is a bed in a shared 4-bed dorm for $2700/month ($90/night)...at least for October 2023, the only search I did.
RIP Mr Moody. 62 years old was too young to go. Good hearted man. God bless him.
64 (born 1950, died 2014)
@@calisongbird The obituary on the internet says May 19, 1950 ~ November 3, 2012 (age 62). That would have been only a year or two after this was filmed.
These SROs are still extremely prevalent in Chicago. I work for a community mental health organization and we as an organization rent over 90+ rooms in these SRO’s around the city for short term living arrangements before we can move clients into better housing opportunities. Without SROs, a very large percentage of individuals relapsing from mental health issues have nowhere to go in the short term and many long-term residents who are in capable of affording anywhere else to live rely on these places. Freedom and poverty are a better alternative to institutionalization.
I live near Chicago & am so happy to see in your post that SRO's still offer affordable housing to those who need it, and that there are still mental health organizations such as yours, that offer housing resources by suppying rooms to the homeless, who would otherwise be sleeping rough.
Thank you. ♡
They closed the one in uptown/ argyle Street " little vietnam".
I am Grateful for the Men's Hotel In Chicago... Been a huge blessing to me... God Bless...
So sorry that Roark didn't make it through the surgery. This was a very enlightening documentary. Housing needs to be available for transition situations for people whether in these older buildings, or newer basic structures. The street isn't the place for anyone! We could all find ourselves in this situation? ❣❣
Omgosh I haven't seen the whole thing yet😢
Having lived in rooming houses in Toronto, Canada I can relate. The thing about rooming houses you meet all kinds , drug addicts , mentally ill, people who lost it all due to divorce and those who lost there good paying job and are trying to recover.
Also known as flop houses
i was caretaker in a rooming house for one year on sherbrook street in The Peg. 1993-4? It was everyone and everything. it was mostly sad.
the one year employment - free rent, utilities and use of the leaking garage - was all i could stand.
@@Scriptorsilentum Ah yes. Sherbrook...Maryland...Langside and on and on. I am aware of the area. I feel sorry for the kids growing up around there.
@@randywatts6969
Your point, Randy??? Just a smart ass derogatory comment on your part, right?🙄
I just watched this and Roark really touched my heart. Being a Combat Vietnam Vet broke my heart listening to how the generation before me treated Our Veterans when they came home it’s sad! I wish he was still alive so I could Honor him and his service. Thank you Roark and all the Veterans for your Honorable Service! Rest in Peace.
I lived in one of those cage hotels in Chicago back in 1970 work daily for power man day labor sometimes you will get work sometimes you want it was a continual struggle but giving up is the last thing you want to do you got to keep a fighting spirit to do better and keep a sober mind .that's what I did I left Chicago on a one way ticket to California with no I.D and change my whole life got my high school diploma and kept going forward and never looked back . When you are down you must never ever give up once you give up you are finish
Good advice, sir
Yeah, one of them cage hotels was on Wilson, on the North side of the street, by the Wilson el stop. The day labor place was right next door and so was the bar!
All this was on purpose up the rich and down with the poor that's how come we have America today it's been going on for at least fifty years
😃
@ivanvanogre-nd1sw I never stayed there bit had friends in there, a lot of drugs, I stayed at the Darlington for a year 2012, I miss Chicago, I done plastering there for 20 years. I now live in thailand.
We need these now more than ever: nothing shameful about this.
I second this.
I was just thinking that.
This would be a godsend for so many people and so many more sooner than later with the way things are going in this economy.
I know there have been some times in my life that it would have been for me too.
And after some emergency health issues and the loss of my husband I may very well be again soon.
Amen
Perhaps these hotels will be Rehabbed..They serve a purpose to the community..
I used to live in the neighborhood with the SRO by Royal Pawn (this is actually in the upscale “Lincoln park” neighborhood), always wondered what it was like to live in these “Men Only” hotels. They never seemed to create too much of a problem in the neighborhood. Better than the tent encampments you see in other cities for sure.
I used to work at the Men's Only hotel next to the post office on Clark, I was a desk clerk there from 2017 to 2019. It was called the Covent and I worked the graveyard shift. I used to look out the window at all the shenanigans going on across the street at the Weiner Circle 😂. They had a very interesting clientele, a lot of guys with mental health issues, some on drugs, and a lot of elderly guys. The place was swarming with bed bugs. Interesting note the rear of the building going back towards Drummond used to be a vaudeville theater, the Saint Valentines day massacre happened down the street and I was told they brought the bodies and placed them on the stage which would later become the day room for the tenants. I never saw any paranormal activity.
@@derricklangford4725ah the memories of the Covent, I stayed there off the plane from ireland, small rooms but clean as a whistle, 6oilets/ showers in the hallway, the lady owner was a lunatic but the staff were cool, Mcdonald next door. 1994
I lived on Sedgwick near Clark and Armitage right near the hotel you mentioned. For the most part it was a fairly decent place there were a few others up in Andersonville on Broadway and up near Bryn Mawr Ave that were definitely not safe and unfortunately they became essentially havens for drug dealers, prostitutes and criminals....Im sure there were some decent residents as well but I personally saw so much crime happening around those places it was hard to see on the day to day. I knew 2 people who got killed at the Chateau Hotel on Broadway (which has since been closed).
I respect the people who lived and worked in these places who really were/are trying to make the best of their situations because it sucks that there are others who exploit these places and give them an even worse stigma than they already have.
Watching this makes me realize how grateful I am for my middle class existence.
Strength and peace to you all.
There is a brand new renovated building in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada that is a newly opened SRO residence, for people coming out on homelessness. Each tenant has their own bathroom with a toilet, sink and shower, no tub. They are allowed a plug in kettle and a microwave, little cube fridge, with a sink in a kitchen area, I believe. Single beds and closet, window and desk, chair and dresser, I think. This is being tried with up to date codes for residency in place. It is needed, and these 'cells' cannot happen again. BUT...we need, desperately need SROs in cities all over North America. Toronto has one old style one, the Parkdale Arms (won't still be standing when I need it, though).
These cells may not be great but they would be far preferable than being completely homeless. The new one you describe sounds good, I wish they would be everywhere so no one would be homeless.
I've been waiting seven months for one of these cells. I can't wait to be locked up on August first,sure beat living on the streets and here in Canada homeless shelters cost the government over one hundred bucks a night per bed. In the end housing of this nature could quickly help North America Wich is in it's worst crisis since the arrival of the European settlers.
* Parkview Arms
My only hope through this film was that Roark was doing well today. My shock at the end was more moving emotionally than i expected. I felt i lost a dear friend. Dear Roark may you rest in peace now ❤
I said the same thing....he seemed like such a very caring, compassionate person. I actually gasped when I read that he passed away. That just absolutely blew me away. People like that are becoming fewer & farther between, sadly.
The Vet who said “ I don’t consider them family cause they don’t treat me like family”. I completely agree and understand my mom always told me just because someone is related to you by blood does not make them family. Family are the people who you can always trust to be there through the good and the bad. And you are not obligated to allow the people who are related to you by blood in your life if they are toxic people who only mean to use, abuse or harm you physically or mentally. You have every right to cut them out of your life and whoever you feel in your heart is your family is your family just like home is any place no matter how big or small it is that you feel safe to lay your head.
What about people who are loners but have only blood relatives to fall back on?
@@keyurpatel1982so, what about them!
I agree..... I have a lot of relatives & siblings. However I do not consider any of them family!
I hope these people are around forever to protect the lost. There are going to be lots more soon. RIP Roarke. You have Waterhouse Lady of Shallot on your wall. That's my favorite painting ever. Never say that disadvantaged and traumatized and poor people have no "culture".
When I first moved out at age 18 while still in high school I was lucky enough to find a fairly nice rooming house where I met some very interesting people. I think I paid $100/mo (in 1981). It kept me from being homeless. I wish there were more of them out there so young people would have a better chance of getting started on their own instead of becoming dependent upon their parents.
Did that gig when I was young and needed a cheap place to crash, this was back in Minneapolis late 80s or so. After a couple of years I got it together, got out.
Some things I'll never forget... like the smell, not bad but very peculiar... like decay, and tiredness, and defeat. Then there was time the Fat Guy who lived on our floor disappeared for a while, until the stank got bad, real bad. Got the manager to open his room up, and there he was two weeks gone sat on the can and even larger than before.
Memories that will remain... forever.
Several years later some big-shots bought the joint and renovated it into six-figure condos.
God bless the people keeping these places open, you're giving even more than you know.
Regards.
At 16, in 1967, I lived in the Oak Park YMCA, $20/wk. ,finished H.S., worked at Wieboldts after school. Arriving in any big city I'd rent a room in a SRO, see an Employment Agency ( remember those?) on Monday , have a job set up by Wed, get an apt, all in 1 to 2 weeks. It was easy, life was convienent. Now its a struggle in so many ways
Oak Park was a nice part of town…I lived next door in Maywood! Winters are BRUTAL in the Chi & thank God for people who cared enough to help others. Veterans should NEVER have to worry about housing, medical or psychiatric care…EVER!!!!
this is so fantastic… it’s a place at least to be safe and clean and warm. We need more of those. Everyone should be housed that wants to be
Create one yourself !
@@suzanneblaylock9598 sure if you want to help me pay for it
Perfect companion piece to The Sunshine Hotel. I first watched this some years ago and have just seen Mr Moody again - he made such an impression on me first time round. A remarkably compelling personality. Very clever, very humble.
Was the Sushi Hotel about the sro on the Bowery in Manhattan? I've been inside there many times until it was closed in the early 2000s.
Yeah I loved that one too
yessss !! the sunsine hotel doc was fascinating first time i saw it i was just like wow i wish this doc was longer !
I think in some ways it was blessing for the universe to take Roark when he did. His rooming struggles were only beginning and, he would not be able to replace that big beautiful corner suite he had been living in. As a retiree living in a room rented in a house...trust me that room was nice. Plus, he said he'd lived a full life.
As a former Chicago resident with windows, that room hit ten below for sure.
I lived in Chicago for 5 years in a SRO. The Hotel Elinor on Belmont and Cicero. $160 a week. Free cable, free heat, a pretty decent view as I was on the 5th floor. It had a single, terrifying elevator and housekeeping every Thursday. It was basically a studio apartment for about $650 a month. Any other place and the same place would be $1k a month.
Really good informative video. I lived homeless in Vancouver BC, Downtown Eastside. Slowly all of these SRO’s are being demolished.I’ve had to stay in a SRO a couple of times because it’s better than outside. The more rooms are destroyed and not replaced the homeless population will keep growing.
I’m in the lower mainland, what a nightmare for housing. Very corrupt province and city. I am not homeless, but with the price of everything here, it doesn’t take much for people to end up that way.
I have lived in my over priced studio apartment for almost 4 years now. In that time, I've had a couple cab drivers tell me that my building used to be a hotel, which has always been intriguing to me. It wasn't until I saw a piece of junk mail on the floor in my building's lobby addressed to "New Jackson Hotel" that I had the Google search words that landed me here. This documentary is wonderful and it fills me with both pride and guilt. The history is rich in these walls, so "rich" now that the "daily rate" is about $46. I love knowing this history, and I will carry with me a rightful amount of guilt for the "total gut rehab" description that sold me on the lease.
Danielle... thank you very much!
Look at old police reports from that place lol
My old apartment building called Times Square in Buena Park on the North Side used to be the Buena Park Beach Hotel i found out that Groucho Marx and The Marx Brothers used to perform in the ballroom there
@@DominicVega95 where ?
@@BillBondsHasAPosse the library. Archives. They use to pull out a dead body every night. Home to pimps bums killers dealers and normal people trying to get thru something or people down on their luck. Ex cons with no place to go etc. Overdose. Suicide. Stabbings it was something else for a living standard. Rooms where they'd sell and use a women. Rooms where people just go to shoot up. Drunken brawls. Places like that only had like a bathroom everyone would use but because of the drunks peeing in the sinks its unusable. The calls they get now for things on a police scanner hasn't really changed for spots. This building yes but Chicago no. Still the same. Chcigaos public library has newspapers archives from this place. I recommend checking out other places too projects etc. Urbanization.
It's so sad that places like this are being turned into fancy rentals and hotels. Urban areas need low rent hotels-- otherwise they people up on the streets, and coming back from homelessness is so very hard. Much respect to the owners who have to fight the city, while trying to make a profit and still provide a needed service.
What’s sad is that our country- the wealthiest- can’t offer the necessary assistance for these people.
@@swestttttit's not their damned job to. You want communism, move.
@@TimeMariner Wait…who said anything about the state taking over production?? Communism vs *communities.* Do you pay an HOA fee? Ya know, where all contribute so that everyone can have nicer things? Well the world can do that too. We share a planet. This country definitely can. And it is actually exactly their job. The government holds their power by consent of the governed, and the function is to make life better and easier for us ALL. It’s why we were founded.
Human beings aren’t recycling. You don’t get to sort and decide who’s human and “deserving” of basic services and needs. Everyone on the planet is worthy of a decent place to grow up. There are enough resources on the planet to give everyone a modicum of dignity… which would make your OWN life nicer just due to the reduction in crime ffs. Don’t cut your nose off to spite your face, my brother. We are all family.
It causes more issues. Your good intent can be a death sentence for others. Learn a little more because rooming houses also contribute rather than assist the issue.
@@swestttttyou're not the wealthiest nation nor have you ever been. Stop believing and get a grip.
Really moving documentary - great work. RIP Roark. What a beautiful soul. 💔
Unless you've been homeless, you'll never know how wonderful it feels to have a room. Even a tiny room. It's got a door. It's warm. And it's yours...at least for a little while.
Anyone can become homeless. Anyone! So treat everyone as you would yourself. Situations happen. Be safe, and much love🫶
What a great film. Respect to everyone involved. This needed documenting. Thanks.
Thanks, Ben for watching...
I live in a Sro in the TL, San Francisco. They are mostly in the Tenderloin. A few yrs back they were gonna tear them all down but the TL housing group had every building made a historical landmark.
It's so sad that Roark did not survive his heart surgery. It seemed like he was really looking forward to a new beginning in another part of town. I wonder if his poetry had been published? It sounded pretty good!! I hope his cat went to a loving home and his brother took all of Roark's beloved paintings and photos.
I'm so glad that the owner of the Ewing Annex was willing to fight for his residents, they really needed someone like him on their side. It's sad that the city wants to push the people out when they really have no where else to go.
The building that was sold sounds like it became a hostel. That's ok for short-term travelers, but $35 a night, long term is expensive!!
It's not right what our cities are doing to affordable housing.
Same. I want to buy a book of his poems. I'm afraid if he has written them down, somebody threw them away when going through his stuff, but I hope someone has them
I cried when I read he didn’t survive his surgery - he had the aura of a kind and good man. I especially hope his brother maybe took in Roarke’s cat and belongings as well. I agree with all of your comment too.
I think the fact that place closed down broke his heart. He was doing what he loved.
I remember all the SRO hotels in NYC in the eighties and nineties and they were great. They served a real purpose. Sad, that they are gone.
Rest easy, Roarke Moody - people won't remember where you lived, but they will know who you were, and how you spoke, thanks to this footage.
These people, owners, clerks, clients are amazing !!!
i had to live in a building like this for a few years before i got my shit together and they may not be glamorous but they provide a very necessary service to those of us down on our luck or in a rough patch, all in all this was a great documentary thank you for your work in making this
SRO's are a valuable asset to the low income community. Sad thing in Miami Florida all the SROs were torn down for high price condos. That a 1 bedroom condo goes for 100,000 to 400,000 they want the working class to die or live on the street.
Class genocide. Absolutely
I'm struck by the humanity of the residents and staff, God bless you all...
My dad would have been in something like this. He lost everything . Divorced, drank heavily from severe depression, lost his job, our home burned down. He lives in his sisters basement which hes still there to this day and wont move. He made it pretty😊 he likes the location and family is around. Hes a proud man never wants help for anything. He stopped drinking and got healthy . We need sros . Desperately in this economy. Especially for veterens. The elderly. Not everyone has family to rely on .
This is a very powerful video and the personal stories of survival compelling. More and more, the SROs are going away in Chicago. Many former residents are ending up in tent encampments.
What does SRO stand for?
@@chairlesnicol672
Single Room Occupancy. One person per room.
There's an excellent book called Living Downtown: The History of Residential Hotels in the United States by Paul Groth. It costs a small fortune to buy now but I bought it back in the day for a normal price. It focuses on the SRO's of SF, CA, which I also have a lot of experience with. If you can get it at the library it's a very good read. I never had to deal with the chicken-wire 'ceilings', thank goodness. Killed a LOT of roaches though.
i noticed they put the chicken wire ceilings to darned good use.
Holy cow, it IS expensive. My local library does not have a copy. I'll keep looking.
What's the purpose behind the chicken wire ceilings?
I couldn't tell when this was made (latter days of RMD, I suspect), but it was posted 5 years ago as of this writing. I don't have anything to add, other than to say that I'm very glad I happened across this and got to watch it. It was moving, eye-opening, and thought provoking.
This was beautifully done, Mr. Shipp. Thank you for being a voice and sharing the stories of these men.
As a human being , losing something so very fundamental as having basic shelter is probably one if not the nost traumatic experience ypu could ever have.the homeless deserve our help and compassion. Not our derision.
My apartment flooded and I didn’t have renters insurance so when I was forced to leave I had to pay out of pocket for a hotel . I was so stressed I couldn’t hardly sleep and my anxiety was through the roof !!
@@oli19827💔
My husband and I fled our last apartment complex when they didn’t properly handle a raw sewage leak. It was scary. I’m grateful we were able to find and pay first and last month’s rent on a new place quickly. We’ve been here now for 13 years.
@@calisongbird good, I lost all my savings and live paycheck to paycheck again but was let back in to another apartment at my complex when my neighbor passed away . Many of the others who were forced out are still living in hotels or staying with family. I almost sought a lawyer.
I had no stable shelter for 10 years starting when I was only 14 years old. Wouldn't believe the amount of people who stuck their heads in the sand and said it had to be my fault I was homeless. As a child. I couldn't even get employment for the first 4 years. Couldn't get government aid. I was forced to panhandle and shoplift to put food in my stomach and clothes on my back. Shoes were the hardest thing to get. Too expensive to panhandle for and too bulky to lift so all I could ever get were sandals. Constantly wore holes in them and had blisters all on the bottoms of my feet. Life was impossible almost. Still couldn't get work or shelter when I turned 18 because of the state of the town I lived in, no employment and no human resources. I had to board a greyhound alone when I was 20 to seek opportunity in the nearest city, Los Angeles. After moving a lot of people still believed I did something to make myself homeless, when it was simply all I knew by that point. 14 to 20 is a long way, I hardly remember life before. Thankfully I got into the programs here for homeless young people and I stuck with them until I got subsidized housing. I still do after care with my exit program now at 26 and likely will for many years to come. But all the people I meet on the street would never guess I was ever homeless. They expect you to inherently be a bad person or have serious drug or mental issues to experience homelessness, people are so disconnected from the reality of our nation. Thousands of homeless children sleep on the streets of USA every single night! CHILDREN!
An excellent and well done documentary. Sad to see that Roark didn't make it.
Sandra, thanks for watching and glad you liked it.
Wonderful documentary! Thanks for making it.
I'll never forget my young daughter and I coming across a photography book in the library on all the closed mental institutions across the US . Hauntingly beautiful, yet tragic . I explained to her that's why there are so many lll people on the street with no place to lay their head. Today it's even worse . We need more places like this hotel.
I used to live in Chicago and I remember the Tokyo Hotel because I worked nearby. I’m visiting next month with my son and I booked a hotel and now I realize that the place we booked is the former Tokyo Hotel. Then this comes up in my feed. I imagine all these places are gone now.
I always wondered why there were so many homeless people in downtown areas. This gave me some insight. Thank you for this film and RIP Roarke. Such a dignified man.
Homeless people flock to big cities because that's where all the social resources are. Basically where they can get free stuff because in small towns people wouldn't put up with rentals like these.
I currently reside in a senior apartment building in Cleveland Ohio waiting for it to be taken over by the local housing authority so many Sec 8 people but after being burned out of a suburban apartment and they attempted to blame me for it in addition to breaking my arm and being out of work for since months had to live in a welfare motel finally got back to work but I am so grateful to God I have a roof over my so thankful I am a registered nurse who grew up in the sheltered suburbs
We need to bring these back everywhere.
Roark was a true hero.I had a lot of problems in my youth .I could have ended up in a 1970s NYC SRO . Had I - I probably would have been dead by now - or a physical ,mental wreck .I was lucky that I was given a second chance and was able to start a new life in Maine -I still am .Destiny is a funny thing .....I could still end up in an SRO -perhaps anyone could .
R.I.P. Roark , I salute you. Most people deserve an opportunity. Really enjoyed this
They need to have these everywhere for men and women both... Something like this is so needed...
SRO’s are a blessing in Chicago. I have had friends that lived in Wilson Men’s Club and another one on Clark who showed me his very nice room. Don’t kill the SRO’s.
I ran a barbershop in one of these places for 20 years. Man, do I have stories.
Would love to hear some
@stanhanley6004 "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly".....and EVERY other "Crazy Thing" you could possibly think of!
I grew up in San Francisco. My mother’s second husband came to live with us when I was about 12. My mother explained to my brother and me that he was in Real Estate, and owned a hotel in the City. I couldn’t believe it! I thought it sounded so exciting that my stepfather owned a hotel! I got suspended from school, and was home for a few days. My stepfather suggested that I go with him to collect rent at his hotel. I was speechless when we entered a dark, shabby, 5 story building in the Mission district, way before it had become gentrified. It was called the All Star Hotel. An elderly, glazed-eyed , ebony skinned woman in a light blue robe was hollering at my stepfather about something being out of order, and why didn’t he take care of things! Turns out he was a major cheapskate. The marriage only lasted a few years. That hotel had a profound effect on how I viewed life in San Francisco, after that day.
How did you view life after that day in San Francisco?
@@DaveWhite12it was a slice of life in a part of the City,inside a place I never knew existed. My idea of a hotel was the Fairmont or the Mark Hopkins.
Great documentary showing the harsh reality of city life and the compassion at the heart of real people.
'There but for the Grace of God go I' 🙏
Lived in the Tokyo hotel, was a great place 15'x15' room private bath phone ! Loved it !
“Which of these things isn’t like the others?” I haven’t heard that in forever!! Thank You for that !
Aged quite well, seeing how things are now. It’s so hard to find somewhere to live now - much worse for the types of people who needed these types of housing. No wonder we have such massive tent cities now.
That was amazing, thank you Aaron. I'd love to see more of your work here. That really touched my heart and just re highlighted how we arrived at the current housing crisis we are in, with tent villages springing up all over the world. It's easy to see the agenda now with hindsight and that despite the facade of democracy we have worse facilities for people than some third world countries. Love to you and anyone reading this. Xx
👍
Hello there, you see it that way as well. It's an epidemic.
I live in a rural area and ppl are moving into "sheds". 10' by 10' (10''x 20') it's all they can afford. No electricity, no plumbing, no insulation. Try to keep that warm or cool in the summer! We are headed the wrong way. Wish our representatives could see it for what it truly is....an economic failure. No one wants to admit failure.
Working people can't afford housing! Utilities, rent, etc.
Some of them are families.
I always wondered what happened to these hotels. Characters in old detective and pulp fiction would always end up living in one as part of their hero arc and now that's all gone
This is the best thing I have watched in years.
A gem of a documentary.
Amazing that this old way of dealing with people and issues... is probably now what we need more than anything.
What a brilliant documentary. Thank you. It made my day.
I’m born and raised in NY. I had been to most cities in America like LA, Boston, SF, Philly, Dallas - Houston, DC. Etc. None of them really impressed me compared to the massive and crazy city NY is. Then I went to Chicago. I loved it. Great great city. A REAL city. Real history and grit.
An absolute Eye opener of a Documentary...I am SO lucky to have a Place that I can come and go as I please...There but Fror the Grace of go I.
"There but for the Grace of God go I." ~ John Bradford
Bless them. Excellent documentary. You showed the dignity and compassion of these amazing people.
So grateful for this documentary ! Roark is such a sweetheart ❣️
wow why did these go away?! These are very much needed in big cities right now. So many folks would be saved from sleeping on the street if these still existed. Especially the working homeless...might give them a shot to get their things in order for a year and move into more of a stable situation.
Way more people than 30-40 years ago….
Its like the Trailer parks disappearing to Property is big business sadly
Beautifully done. These places are oases of humanity in an inhumane society. Roark was a very sensitive man but he had wisdom too. RIP Roark.
I really love these documentaries just a raw slice of Life that you get to see. It doesn't have to be something glamorous or super interesting. It's nice to see other people live life. Also I live two blocks away from where the Wilson's men's hotel used to be
I wondered about those places since I saw the one in Blues Brothers. I lived in Chicago for about 5 years, and even worked in real estate, but they completely operate under the radar of most people. Good show, thanks.
America: *destroys its cheapest mode of housing in cities, forcing people into the streets or into even worse housing*
Also America: what do you mean a housing affordability crisis?
There was no worse housing. This was the last parachute for most of those guys
@@robertbruner7429 you missed the part where America took the 1 form of housing keeping them off the streets. Call it ‘worst,’ but now it’s tents under freeways 🤷♂️
@@Sprite_525 I didn't miss that. That's why I referred to them as the "last parachute." I'm well aware of all the desperation going on as a result of their unfortunate closure. I live in Chicago, and two blocks away is a city park filled with tents. Go onto Lake Shore Drive and half the lakefront is filled with tents. It's absolute bullshit that these places were destroyed and nothing was done to replace them. The transient hotels were great, they offered shelter while someone searched for better work, an alternative to nursing homes for old people striving to maintain independence etc. These issues are increasing and ignoring the problem solves nothing.
Now that Chicago has a more holistic mayor, perhaps this should be brought up to him
Has this happened because of low interest rates that fueled speculation in real estate?
This was a great documentary. Well worth watching.
I lived in RSO at 18. It was wild!! I joined the Army. I have a loving family, 3 kids and a business. My beginning was not so great. We need more RSO. They are a town within a town.
I lived in St. George Hotel in Santa Cruz, Cal. same as these Hotels, a life saver. Thank-you for this excellent film!